


Setting Sun, All Is Well

by RoRoUrBoat



Series: Pridecember 2020 [9]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Happy(ish) ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Plotty, Prideshipping, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27986259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoRoUrBoat/pseuds/RoRoUrBoat
Summary: Pridecember Day 9 - CarryDirect sequel to "All Around Us, It Fell"Destiny guides Atem, and he doesn't mind. When he's failed fate, though, where is he to go next? Kaiba has his own ideas.
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem, Mutou Yuugi & Yami Yuugi | Atem
Series: Pridecember 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035744
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Setting Sun, All Is Well

**Author's Note:**

> As is stated, this is a direct sequel to "All Around Us, It Fell," which is a sequel to "And It Came Crashing Down." If you want context for this fic, I recommend reading those first. They're days 8 and 2, respectively. 
> 
> Woah. I almost didn't get this done! I'm glad I did, though, because I actually really like it??? Idk if y'all will, but here's hoping! Enjoy reading!

Blinding gold light faded to a soft shimmer, and Atem blinked. Without the shine from… whatever had just happened, it was dark. Atem looked around and, as his eyes adjusted, he noticed something he was shocked to have missed.

A sweeping… window or hologram or _something_ below him revealed a breathtaking view of what Atem could only assume was Earth, stars dotting the distance. The blues and greens of the planet below were a stark contrast to the surrounding dark of the sky, and Atem couldn’t help but stare. The Earth shone like its own star, bright and vibrant and _alive._ Atem felt a tug in his chest. He wondered where Egypt was down there.

A hissing sound from behind him caught his attention, and Atem turned around to watch Kaiba stumble out of some sort of pod. He groaned, rubbed his head, and then opened his eyes to see Atem, silhouetted by the glow from the stars and Earth around them. Kaiba’s eyes widened, just for a second, before he found control and turned his surprise into a smirk. Atem balled his fists and breathed shallowly, his gaze more on his alien surrounding than then man whose fault this was.

“So, Pharaoh,” Kaiba began, arms crossed. Atem continued to look around, hardly hearing Kaiba. “What do you think?” When Atem was silent, Kaiba continued with a sharp bark of laughter. “Hah! I’ve finally beaten you, and this is how you react? Despondent and-”

“What,” Atem cut off Kaiba’s gloating, lifting his head to look his rival in the eyes, “have you done…?” Kaiba’s smirk managed to widen. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve-” 

“Ruined everything,” Atem said simply, tone neutral and voice quiet. Kaiba scoffed.

“Oh, pardon me for bringing you back from the dead,” Kaiba began, all high and mighty, before Atem turned away from him to look once more through the window. Kaiba growled. Atem didn’t pay him any attention.

He put a hand to the window, to the sky, to the stars. He would fix this. He _had_ to fix this.

Whirling around to face Kaiba, Atem, fire renewed, stormed up to him. 

“You’ve had your win, Kaiba, now _send me back_.” Kaiba raised an eyebrow, the perfect facade of curious neutrality. His eyes gave him away. The glow of passion had seeped from his eyes, leaving a cold, distant sheen. Atem was almost glad to see the challenge fade.

Kaiba stared down his nose at Atem and said only one thing: “No.”

Atem snarled, something fearsome and feral, and reached for Kaiba’s cuff. Kaiba smirked again as he held his arm above his head, mocking and minimalizing both Atem and his need to go _home_.

“You son of a bitch, you got what you wanted, now let me-”

A sudden bright glow burst into being next to Atem, and he whirled around to see what it was. He couldn’t help but feel his eyes soften at the sight of Mokuba Kaiba’s face. He really had grown so much…

“Nii-sama!” Mokuba cried through what had to be some kind of live video, “You came back!” Kaiba let his arms drop to his side. He allowed Mokuba a quirk of his lips, still side-eyeing Atem, and said, “I’d never leave you, Mokuba. You should know that by now.” Mokuba just nodded, a teary grin on his face. Atem felt an ugly twinge of envy in his chest. He ignored it. 

Atem moved to give the Kaiba brothers space, feeling distinctly as though he was intruding on a private moment, when Mokuba seemed to notice his presence.

Somehow, Mokuba’s smile managed to grow.

“Atem!” he called, less emotion in his voice than when he addressed his brother but emotion present nonetheless, “It’s great to see you! I didn’t doubt my Nii-sama would be able to bring you back home!”

Atem tried to plaster a smile on his face, but it felt weak. This reception from Mokuba… He’d hardly been friends with the kid, yet here he was, actually _glad_ to see Atem. He wasn’t angry that Atem had been the motivation for Kaiba’s leaving. Moreover, his use of that word… _home_ … As though this dimension, this _life_ , was where Atem belonged. Atem would have been touched, had he not known that Mokuba’s excitement was for his brother, not Atem himself.

While Atem dissected every one of Mokuba’s words, Kaiba walked to an incomprehensible piece of technology and began typing furiously. Mokuba chattered away, giving Kaiba updates, as far as Atem could follow.

“Mokuba,” Kaiba cut in, eyes barely different from the icy visage Atem had challenged earlier, “I’m ready to descend. Is everything prepared on your end?” Mokuba flashed Kaiba a thumbs up. Kaiba nodded, and walked to a contraption Atem hadn’t noticed earlier. Probably his means of returning to Earth.

Returning to Earth…!

Atem ran to catch up to Kaiba and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him around.

“You bastard, what about-”

  
“I’m not going back there, Pharaoh, and I’m not letting you take my tech for a dimensional joyride.” Kaiba turned back around, and Atem’s hand fell to his side. 

“Stay up here with the sun for company, for all I care. I have people waiting for me.”

Kaiba walked forward, and Atem felt his fists clench. If he had no other choice…

Atem followed.

  
  


__

  
  


The descent to Earth had been silent. Kaiba still had that unnerving, cold look in his eyes, and Atem wasn’t willing to talk to him. Not after he’d taken away Atem’s choice.

As soon as they stepped off Kaiba’s contraption and had their feet on solid ground, Kaiba was bowled over by Mokuba, who hadn’t, it seemed, been willing to be away from his brother for another second.

Kaiba let slip a small, private smile, one reserved only for Mokuba, and patted his little brother’s head. Mokuba came up from his hug and stood, straightening his suit and waving to Atem.

  
Before they could greet one another, Kaiba said, “Mokuba, entertain _his highness._ I have some phone calls to make.” With that, Kaiba walked off down the hallway, no further glance spared for Atem.

Atem felt the sting of rejection, despite his rage at Kaiba, like an arrow to the chest. So Kaiba really _had_ only wanted to win.

Atem shook his head. He couldn’t afford to dwell on that. He needed to find a way back, without Kaiba’s help.

Atem noticed, belatedly, Mokuba staring at him. Atem gave the boy a light smile, and Mokuba grinned back. Atem opened his mouth to ask Mokuba where Kaiba had gone, when Mokuba spoke first.

“Y’know, it’s really good to see the person who saved my brother's butt a million times in person. I mean, I know you and Yugi were _kinda_ the same person, but it’s still cool to see you in your own body. You look so different!” Mokuba beamed, and Atem almost took a full step back. The sheer _normalcy_ of this interaction with Mokuba hit Atem, and for the first time since arriving, he felt his shoulders relax.

Despite existing in this place once more, past his time, Atem had yet to be struck down by angry gods. He was sure that it was coming, Kaiba’s callous actions had ensured retribution, but until then… This was almost nice. The smile Atem gave Mokuba was just a little bit more genuine than the last.

“So,” Atem began after a beat of silence, “Where did your brother run off to?” Atem crossed his arms. “I thought he’d be rubbing his “victory” in my face up until I went back.” Mokuba frowned. That wasn’t what Atem meant to happen. Why was Mokuba frowning?  
  
“When are you going back?” Mokuba asked, a note of confusion lacing his tone, though he kept the question perfectly businesslike. Atem sighed. These Kaiba brothers…

“Soon. I think,” Atem answered, unnerved by Mokuba’s suddenly intense stare. “I mean, once your brother actually _lets_ me go.”

Mokuba furrowed his brow even further. “You… want to go back?” He ignored the comment about “letting” Atem go. Mokuba’s voice was beginning to rise, and Atem didn’t like where this was going. “After all that Nii-sama did to get there, to bring you home, you want to waste it?” Mokuba’s tone had taken on a distinct Kaiba brand of indignation and simmering rage.

“Mokuba, it’s not like that,” Atem tried to explain, “I don’t _belong_ here. My time on this Earth is over. It ended when Yugi stopped needing me,” he said, and he couldn’t keep the melancholy out of his voice.

Mokuba scoffed.

“What, so Yugi is the only one who ever meant anything to you?” Atem balked.

“That’s not what I said at-”

“Well, that’s what it sounds like! I mean, if you left without even a backward glance for Nii-sama, then how could you know _he_ didn’t need you?” Mokuba glared steadily into Atem’s eyes, never faltering, and Atem had to look away first.

He didn’t have a good answer for that. He couldn’t argue that Kaiba wasn’t his destiny, because Kaiba and his fates had always been intertwined. He couldn’t argue that Kaiba didn’t need him because _Atem didn’t know._

Something clicked in Atem’s head, and he couldn’t keep his eyes from widening.

The lack of retribution from any gods who should, rightly, be upset with him, the connected nature of Atem and Kaiba’s destinies, the fact that _Kaiba might need Atem_ …

Atem barely resisted bringing a horrified hand to his mouth. Gods, he’d screwed up.

He’d left too early. The Gods had tested him and he’d failed. His purpose wasn’t over.

Before Atem could say anything more, Kaiba arrived back in the hallway Mokuba and Atem were still standing in. He took one look at their faces and huffed. He put a hand on Mokuba’s head, and Mokuba relaxed instantly, glare melting into a softer look of determination. His eyes bored into Atem’s a moment longer before he turned to look at Kaiba.

“How did your calls go?” he asked, side-eyeing Atem. Atem realized very suddenly that he could no longer read the kid as well as he once could. He shook his head. More proof that he didn’t belong here. Everyone else had moved on already. Everyone, maybe, except for…

“Fine,” Kaiba said, tone giving away nothing, “They’ll arrive shortly. In the meantime,” Kaiba turned his gaze from Mokuba to Atem, and Atem was struck by how distant he felt from Kaiba. Kaiba’s eyes usually gave away his emotions when nothing else did, but now, Atem couldn’t read anything. Kaiba’s walls were up, stronger than ever.

Atem had to wonder if it was his fault.

Belatedly, Atem picked up the threads of Mokuba and Kaiba’s conversation, and asked, “Wait, who’s arriving?” Kaiba leveled a look at him and smirked. Somehow, this smirk felt colder than all of Kaiba’s previous ones. Atem suppressed a shudder.

Kaiba checked his watch, returned his cool gaze to Atem, and shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  
  


__

  
  


Ten minutes passed. In that time, the trio had moved to a comfier reception room somewhere in the Kaiba Corp. building. Atem had tried several more times to find out who was to arrive with little success. All he could glean was that it was something he wouldn’t like, if Kaiba’s sharp smirk was to be taken at face value.

After another five minutes of largely unfilled silence, Atem went to ask again who he’d be meeting, when the doors to the reception room burst open.

There, hands on his knees, panting like he’d just sprinted a mile, was a familiar head of spiky hair. It was his friend, his other self, his _partner._ It was Yugi.

Atem shot to his feet but didn’t do much else. He looked from Kaiba to Yugi, feet rooted to the floor. Kaiba wasn’t looking at him, gaze focused intently on Yugi, but Atem certainly held Yugi’s attention.

He stared, wide-eyed, from the doorway he’d just burst through. He took one step forward, then another, and soon he was running to cross the room, cross the distance. Yugi stopped short, right in front of Atem, and grabbed his arms. He looked in awe at Atem’s solid form, patted his shoulders, and then pulled him into a tight hug.

Atem was frozen.

This wasn’t how this should have gone. Yugi should have greeted him like an old acquaintance, happy to see him, sure, but not so desperate and fervent that Atem felt guilt gnaw at his heart. He glanced at Kaiba, who was watching the interaction stoically. He raised an eyebrow, and Atem swallowed. He brought his arms up, slow, unsure, to embrace Yugi back, and he felt more than heard Yugi’s breath hitch.

Atem found himself rubbing his partner’s back, holding him just as tightly. He felt tears prick at his eyes, and he blinked them away. He wasn’t sure which emotion in the whirlwind inside of him was causing tears. From failure to guilt to cautious elation, it could have been anything.

After what was probably too long for a proper hug, Kaiba stood up. Atem followed him with his eyes as he headed towards the room’s exit. Atem patted Yugi’s back and carefully broke the hug. 

  
Atem called after Kaiba, “Kaiba, wait!”

Kaiba stopped and looked back, his eyes shining with emotion, though it was difficult to tell what exactly it was. Atem almost huffed at still being unable to read Kaiba.

“Finish catching up with your _partner,_ ” Kaiba sneered, “I have work to do. My company doesn’t run itself, and I’ve been gone longer than I meant to be.”

With that, Kaiba disappeared through the door, and Atem felt his heart sink.

How was he supposed to finish fulfilling both of their destinies if Kaiba wouldn’t even talk to him?

  
  


__

  
  


Not long after Yugi’s appearance, Honda and Jounouchi appeared, sweeping Atem into equally tight, if not as emotional, hugs. Mokuba excused himself shortly after that, probably to go find his brother.

They gang sat down on the plush couches as they shot question after question at Atem so fast that his head spun. Somewhere between “so did you have a girlfriend in the afterlife?” and “do you ride camels in Egypt?” Atem had begun to laugh despite himself. 

“So, Atem,” Jounouchi began, “Where exactly are you staying? I mean, probably with Yugi, right?” Atem chewed his lip as he considered that. As much as he wanted to-

His train of thought stopped there and he felt his heart rate increase. _As much as he wanted?_ He wasn’t supposed to _want_ to stay here! He was here to meet his fate and then find his eternal rest. That was it.

In his silence, Yugi nudged him, a concerned furrow to his brow. Atem gave him a weak smile. He felt nauseous.

His thoughts were spiraling out of control. He shouldn’t _want_ at all! In fact, he should be angry, or disappointed, or something! He’d been dragged out of his afterlife paradise to meet a destiny he didn’t even know how to _start_ fulfilling. 

He must have been quiet for too long. Yugi was staring at him while Honda and Jounouchi whispered to each other. Yugi cleared his throat. 

“Hey, guys, can you go find Mokuba or Kaiba and ask them for something to drink? Atem looks a little sick,” Yugi smiled sympathetically and gestured to Atem. “Probably the interdimensional travel.” Jounouchi nodded and dragged a confused Honda after him. Once they were gone, Yugi turned to face Atem, all traces of mirth gone.

“Partner…” Yugi started, “What’s wrong? You don’t seem all that pleased to be here, all of a sudden.” Atem sighed. Yugi could always read him like a book. He felt a tug in his chest. He ignored it.

Atem let out a deep breath. “I’m… not sure, Yugi,” he said honestly, “Can you really say you’re pleased that I’m here?” 

“Yes.” No hesitation. No flowery or fluffy words. Atem was taken aback by the fervor he saw on Yugi’s unguarded face. 

Atem balked. “What do you mean? You don’t need me anymore, remember? You can stand on your own!” Yugi sighed and put a hand on Atem’s shoulder.

“You’re right, Atem. I don’t need you anymore. That doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to _want_ my other self to stick around.” Atem swallowed thickly. Yugi had hit the nail on the head. He continued, “That’s what it means to be a friend. In fact, that’s what it means to be _human_.”

Atem balled his fists in his lap, scrunching his tunic, which he just realized he hadn’t changed out of, and bit his lip.

“When you’re human-”

“I’m not human, Yugi!” Atem cut in, far more desperation leaking into his voice than he had meant, “I’m supposed to be a shadow! A ghost! A memory for you to carry or discard as you see fit!” Yugi’s eyes widened and he went to open his mouth to respond. Someone else beat him to it.

“If you think that running away makes you a ghost,” Kaiba said from his position in the door, “Then you’re an idiot. It doesn’t make you a nice memory or a shadow or whatever. It makes you a coward.”

Atem turned to face the door and glowered. He stood up and stalked up to Kaiba, glaring the whole way.

“You don’t know a damn thing!” Atem said, “Besides, it’s your fault that I’m here! If our destinies weren’t so closely intertwined-”

“Oh, so it’s destiny’s fault that you tried to save my life and ended up stuck here? Are you saying that fate drove me to unlock the secrets of interdimensional travel?” Kaiba’s arms were crossed tightly and he glared down his nose. Atem huffed.

“I’m saying,” he grit out, “that I’m here because fate isn’t done with us! We have more to do than either of us-” Kaiba cut him off again, this time with a sharp bark of laughter.

“Stop leaning on that same old crutch,” he said, “and face the truth like a real duelist! You’re here because people _missed_ you! How dense can you be?” It was the most vulnerable thing Atem had ever heard Kaiba outright say, and it struck him. He shook his head. He couldn’t let himself get distracted.

“Not as dense as you, apparently!” Atem fired back, “I mean, who the hell goes to _the afterlife_ to bring back someone who’d moved on?”

“Who the hell kisses someone they plan on getting rid of!”

“Who the hell kidnaps the person they’d already kissed!”

“ _You_ pressed the buttons! I was busy dying!”

A cough, followed by a peal of laughter, stopped both duelists cold. Atem turned to find Yugi nearly _giggling_ to himself, hand on his stomach as he laughed. Atem felt the fight drain out of him to be replaced by soft affection. Kaiba, on the other hand, glared.

Yugi wiped a tear from his eye and sighed, his laughing fit over. He said, “You know, I’ve missed this.” Atem cocked his head. 

Yugi gestured between Atem and Kaiba. “I don’t know what happened while you were both gone, but some things clearly haven’t changed.” Yugi smiled wistfully. “It’s… nice, in a way, to see you two sharpening your claws on one another. It’s like watching a duel without the cards!” 

Atem felt himself snort at the image, and that snort turned into a low chuckle, which rumbled in his chest. 

Yugi walked up to Atem, looked him in the eyes, and squeezed his shoulder. His eyes were still crinkled with mirth.

“Whatever you choose, partner,” he said, “I’ll be behind you. All the way.” And with that, he left. Yugi always did have the best sense of other’s emotions.

As soon as Yugi was gone and they were alone, Kaiba went back to glaring at Atem. He opened his mouth, no doubt to start the argument up again, when Atem started talking first, quietly.

“I’ve missed it, too,” he confessed, low and soft. Kaiba shut his mouth and listened. “The verbal sparring, I mean,” Atem explained unnecessarily. Kaiba huffed.

“Whatever,” he said, eyes drifting away. This close, Atem could see the light flush on Kaiba’s cheeks. Atem smiled, his smile a mix between sad and fond. It was like Atem’s face couldn’t pick one. Or maybe that was Atem himself.

Atem sighed. “I feel…” he started. Kaiba refocused on him, eyes as intense as they usually were. Atem was encouraged. “I feel like I’m betraying someone no matter what I choose. I betray my allies and friends of the past if I stay here, and I seem to be betraying fate and my friends here if I leave.” Seto’s eye twitched at the mention of fate, but he kept his mouth closed until Atem was done.

When Atem didn’t continue, Kaiba said, very simply, “Then be selfish.” Atem stared at him, confused and a little amused.

“What, like you?” he teased. Kaiba shrugged.

“Sure, whatever works.” Kaiba’s face twisted into something subtly pained as he said, “I’ve spent plenty of time learning how to be selfish and how to live with myself. Maybe you could use some practice.” Atem shook his head, both fond and annoyed.

“Well,” he said, deciding to joke instead of express his inner turmoil, “As you have oh-so-benevolently given me the choice…” Atem trailed off, eyeing Kaiba expectantly. Kaiba huffed what sounded like a laugh.

“Benevolently, huh? Well, if you already see me as one of your ridiculous gods-” Kaiba swallowed, eyes downturned in what Atem could only take as trepidation, “-why don’t you put your pathetic faith in me for once?”

Atem took in a sharp breath. For Kaiba to say something like that, so open and honest and _vulnerable,_ Atem felt like he had to do something for him in return. He settled for bringing a hand to Kaiba’s cheek and carefully bringing him down to Atem’s level. Kaiba went with only minimal hesitation.

Once they were at the same level, Atem rested his forehead on Kaiba’s.

“I do believe in you, Seto,” he said, letting go of his hold on everything he’d felt thus far and letting himself be honest, just for now. “I always have. You’re strong, confident, and smart. No one else could be my rival, not-”

Kaiba leaned his weight just a little heavier on Atem as he barked, “Then stay, damn it! Prove that you missed me, that you trust me, that I _mean_ something to you!” Kaiba’s eyes were wild, and Atem was thrown back to the throne room, where Kaiba had begun to really express his feelings for the first time since Atem had known him. Atem stayed silent, afraid to ruin whatever had made Kaiba feel safe enough to be honest.

When he was sure Kaiba was done, breathing raggedly and clenching his eyes shut as he was, Atem brought his other hand up to properly cradle Kaiba’s face.

“Seto…” Atem murmured, “I… You’re right. I never truly acknowledged how much you mean to me, and…” Atem gulped. “That was a disservice to both of us.” He closed his eyes. “Maybe fate has brought us to this place once again, maybe it was your sheer force of will and want. Regardless-” Atem laughed gently. “-If you want to show me how to live, how can I refuse?” 

Atem breathed in, and he could feel Kaiba hold his own breath. “My allies have waited thousands of years for me. I’m sure a few decades more won’t phase them. Besides…” Atem brought his lips within a breath’s distance from Kaiba’s. “You’re impatient. I don’t think you can wait at all.”

Kaiba let out his breath, and a smile, not a smirk, grew lightly on his face.

“You’re right, Atem,” he said, “I am impatient.” Before Atem could respond, Kaiba’s lips were on his. Atem melted into the kiss, humming as Kaiba pressed what felt like every emotion he couldn’t express into their shared breaths.

If this was what selfishness felt like, Atem thought, maybe he would like trying to live after all. Besides…

He had someone who needed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so like I said, I was really pleased with this fic. I think that Atem really doesn't quite get it in the end, as he's still holding onto fate as his reason for being with Kaiba, and that's going to backfire eventually. Atem has always struck me as a character who needs to have a solid directive to feel like he has a purpose. Additionally, his quick switch from being angry at Kaiba to wanting to help him was absolutely Atem believing that fate was guiding him and he needed to be there for Kaiba not for reasons of emotion but for reasons of destiny. Regardless of the existence or not of destiny and fate, Atem is staying with Kaiba and reacting to certain situations in what I consider to be just... the wrong way. He loves him, yes, but he also thinks that it's his job to be there for Kaiba.
> 
> I have a feeling that I'll rearrange some stuff and make these three stories into their own fic after Pridecember is over lol, maybe even continue it. I have Ideas, y'all.
> 
> Anyway, if you made it this far, HUGE thanks!! I hope you'll join me tomorrow for some of my usual fluff! See ya!


End file.
